Chapter 235: The Cheating Little Snake

Chapter 235: The Rogue Little Snake

Outside the Autumn Rain Pavilion, the mist and rain lingered.

The Xingyi Gang was engaged in a chaotic brawl with the Pinghu Association; following the intervention of Sha Qi’s men, the Pinghu Association's forces collapsed like a mountain torrent, fleeing in all directions.

Wei Zicai did not linger and had already departed.

Whether the thought of silencing Zhao Changhe had crossed his mind remained unknown, but looking at Han Wubing, who stood watchfully by Zhao Changhe’s side, and then at the Winged Fire Snake, whose demonic visage betrayed nothing of her true background, he ultimately dared not make a reckless move. He merely said in a low voice, "Your subordinate shall resign and plead guilty to the Chief upon my return."

Zhao Changhe said nothing more, permitting him to leave.

"Ahem." Sha Qi gave two dry coughs and strolled over. "Well, Wei Zicai’s business won’t affect the deal we agreed upon, right?"

"Right." Zhao Changhe did not even glance at him, replying flatly, "In truth, there is no need for us to do anything more. If Master Sha Qi still cannot control Jianhu City under these circumstances, then you would truly be unworthy of Master Ying Wu’s heavy trust, wouldn't you?"

"The city is simple enough, but what about the lake? We have no interest in the city; controlling the city is merely a means to reach the lake."

"If we depart and you search for it yourself, having monopolized Jianhu City, could you still fail to find the place?"

Sha Qi said no more, silently thinking that as long as he was certain they would not turn against him and cause trouble, it would suffice.

He was also somewhat wary of Zhao Changhe at this moment; heaven knew what kind of trouble this fellow, along with the Winged Fire Snake and Han Wubing, could stir up.

The moment Zhao Changhe produced that token of the Demon Suppressing Division, Wei Zicai might be hard to read, but the remaining personnel of the Division would still obey the secret envoy. Furthermore, the members of the Xingyi Gang were currently filled with gratitude toward him; theoretically, the foremost power in Jianhu City at this moment might very well be Zhao Changhe. If he truly turned his face against the Kangle Gambling House, there would be endless trouble.

If Zhao Changhe had any inclination to play at being a city lord, this single round could almost be considered conquering Jianhu with a single horse.

To think of it, it was truly remarkable... Could this person be... a prince?

For a moment, Sha Qi knew not what thoughts passed through his mind; he spoke no further and hurriedly departed.

Zhao Changhe watched him go until he was far away, then asked Han Wubing, "Do you still wish to stay in that place? If you do, we can turn our faces against Sha Qi once more."

Han Wubing smiled. "Why bother? It is also time for me to leave. The sword intent of that place has mostly been absorbed by me; it would be of no great use even if others took it. Let them have an empty sword chamber."

"There is still some sword intent left..." Zhao Changhe thought for a moment and smiled. "But indeed, not much remains. If they love to play, let them have it to play with. They all think it is some world-shaking secret land, spending all their effort to find it, only to discover a sword chamber the size of an inn courtyard. I wonder if they will feel as though they have taken a bite of filth."

Han Wubing shook his head and laughed despite himself.

Zhao Changhe said, "However, I feel they may not necessarily have any real use for it. I wonder if some people are purely collecting various lost spaces... This is, after all, a sort of bridge."

Han Wubing nodded. "Perhaps."

"It has nothing to do with us. We haven't even touched the Ranking of Mortals; we are far too distant from such high-and-mighty disputes." Zhao Changhe dropped the topic and asked instead, "What are your plans now?"

Han Wubing asked, "Is there anything you need my blade for?"

Zhao Changhe laughed. "Oh, I forgot you are a bounty hunter. How much to kill a man?"

Han Wubing stiffened his face. "One hundred million."

"How about I throw a billion into your face, do you want it?"

"?"

"Go to the grasslands. With the war at Yanmen under way, there will be plenty of places for you and me to test our skills."

Han Wubing nodded. "I had exactly this intention."

Zhao Changhe waved his hand. "Begone, begone, have you not had your fill of being a giant candle? Don't tell me you thought I wanted to go to the grasslands with you? Go play on your own."

Han Wubing looked at the Winged Fire Snake beside Zhao Changhe, utterly speechless. Having held it back for a long while, he finally could not resist asking, "Was the one last time the Holy Maiden of the Four Symbols Cult?"

"What of it?"

"Do you intend to conquer the Four Symbols Cult with male charm?"

Zhao Changhe launched a kick; Han Wubing flew backward, retreating all the way out of the Autumn Rain Pavilion. In mid-air, he cupped his hands and laughed, "For this matter, I won't trouble you with words of thanks. I shall wait for you to join forces on the grasslands."

The words lingered in the air, but the man was already far away.

"This lightness skill is quite something. Had I known he possessed this level of skill, I wouldn't have worried about him being captured."

Zhao Changhe clicked his tongue twice, walking to the edge of the pavilion to lean against the railing and look down.

Outside, the misty rain persisted. The shouts of slaughter had gradually faded into the distance, leaving only the bloodstains upon the ground, flowing quietly under the washing of the drizzle.

The Vermilion Bird stood beside him with a stern expression. Having watched Zhao Changhe tie up the loose ends in silence all this time, she finally spoke her first words: "You simply let Wei Zicai go like that, and continue to cooperate with Sha Qi?"

Zhao Changhe said, "Though they have their own interests and schemes, they did not harm me in the end; the nature of it is different. As for Wei Zicai’s betrayal... in truth, whether in the Four Symbols Cult or the Demon Suppressing Division, it is not strange for those below to plot for themselves. Especially the Demon Suppressing Division—the grand mansion is about to collapse, how many loyal ministers and men of high purpose can there truly be? It is already fortunate they have not defected to the barbarians... I shall write a letter to Chief Tang and see how she handles it."

The Vermilion Bird thought for a moment and said flatly, "I think she won't even handle it; utilizing a fault is better than utilizing a merit. Instead, she will reward you. Will she grant you her favor?"

Zhao Changhe turned his head to glance at her. How sour these words were...

Yet, the Vermilion Bird’s topic suddenly shifted: "What did he mean by conquering the Four Symbols Cult with male charm?"

Zhao Changhe gave a dry cough. "Han Wubing is sick in the head, don't mind him."

"What did he mean by Master Vermilion Bird sending someone to have an affair with you?"

"Zhao Changhe is sick in the head, don't mind him."

"Don't mind him?" The Vermilion Bird gnashed her teeth and grabbed him by the collar. "Now the entire Jianhu City has heard those words of yours. You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Zhao Changhe turned his head to look at the scenery, his demeanor just short of whistling.

Seeing that indolent look, the Vermilion Bird ground her teeth, yet surprisingly found that there was no anger in her heart; instead, she only felt like laughing.

No matter, the one whose reputation was ruined was the Winged Fire Snake anyway, and the one he flirted with was also the Winged Fire Snake. Sooner or later, she would find an opportunity to let this little wretch perish, and that would be the end of it.

However, this mask could not be removed; she had to bluff her way through.

"Heh..." The Vermilion Bird suddenly let out a soft laugh, her teeth-grinding tone turning somewhat charming as she breathed like orchids into his ear: "Do you want to see me remove the mask?"

Zhao Changhe coupped dryly. "Just say whether I helped you more or not. I barely used your strength, right? Your strength was only used to deal with your own traitor. Look, even when He Lei wanted to kill you, it was the arrangement I made in advance that took care of it for you."

The Vermilion Bird said in a seductive voice, "True~"

Zhao Changhe said cautiously, "So..."

"Keep dreaming!" The Vermilion Bird suddenly leaped up. "If it weren't for you insisting on uncovering the truth just to dispel some rumors, I wouldn't have been in any danger at all! Had I known who the traitor was, I could have dealt with it secretly. Why would I have faced being silenced in public? And why on earth would He Lei have tried to hack me? All my danger was brought about by you; it was you who dragged me into this mess! You actually have the nerve to say you were helping me! I even think these people are all actors you hired to perform a play for you!"

"Oh?" Zhao Changhe stroked his chin. "Put that way, it seems to make some sense."

The Vermilion Bird was quite proud. "Right!"

"Setting aside the facts for a moment, just tell me if I helped you root out the traitor or not. Could it be that you helped me more?"

"Of course I helped you more! Without that flick of my finger, you would have been killed by Qin Ruhui!"

"You're being a rogue!"

"So what if I'm being a rogue? I am a demoness of the dark cult!"

"Playing shameless is truly useful." Zhao Changhe laughed out loud. "Fine, fine, fine. If you won't remove it, then don't. But I won't look at this snake face; change into a pig."

"Do you have some grievance against my Winged Fire Snake?"

"None." Zhao Changhe pulled out his own pig mask and put it on. "It's just that if you change into a pig, we will be a pair."

"Who is a pair with you?" The Vermilion Bird said, but seeing his pig mask, she could not help bursting into laughter; every time she saw it, she found it very endearing.

Presumably, he felt the same way looking at her.

The Vermilion Bird’s eyes rippled with light. Finally, she found a corner to change her mask, then turned around and said, "It is not because we are a pair; consider this as fulfilling our wager!"

"Our wager was to see your true face, so are you implying that this pig was your true face all along?"

“I see you’re asking for death!” Zhuque pounced, and Zhao Changhe turned and fled.

The two pig-heads, one chasing, one fleeing, vanished into the misty rain.

The chaotic city, the jianghu with no good men, the oppressive weather, the dreary colors—all shattered in the chase. The cool of autumn rain seeped through the gaps in the masks onto their cheeks, cool and refreshing, and all the turmoil seemed to vanish, making the jianghu beautiful.

The pig-head dashed into the inn, and the male pig-head was finally caught by the female pig-head, pinned against the wall, poised to strike.

Suddenly the male pig-head reached out and caught the female pig-head’s wrist.

The two pig-heads stared at each other, the atmosphere momentarily still.

In broad daylight, by the misty rain lake, and this solitary man and woman, alone in a room, always bickering and roughhousing—the atmosphere was naturally different.

Zhuque suddenly realized: What am I doing?

How did I actually start flirting with him…

I’m not Yihuo Snake sent by the Venerable to have an affair with him. I’m fucking Zhuque… What the hell am I doing?